The Director General of Health considers parental stress to be a “serious” problem

The U.S. Surgeon General has issued an advisory on parental well-being, saying that “addressing parental mental health conditions, and more importantly, the underlying stressors and causes, is critical to the well-being of children and society.”

Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, a father of two, also wrote an opinion piece for the The New York Times about her own experiences with parenting stress, sharing: “The joys are indeed abundant, but as rewarding as being a parent has been, the truth is that it has also been more stressful than any job I have ever had.”

“I have had many moments where I have felt lost and exhausted,” Murthy wrote.

She continued: “The stress and mental health issues facing parents, as well as loneliness, workplace wellbeing and the impact of social media on young people’s mental health, are not always visible, but they can take a heavy toll. It’s time to recognise that they constitute a serious public health problem for our country. Parents who feel on the edge deserve more than platitudes. They need tangible support.”

That’s why he said he issued the notice, which calls for “a national paid family and medical leave program and ensuring that all workers have paid sick time.”

The notice also addresses the need to ensure that “parents and caregivers have access to comprehensive, affordable, high-quality mental health care.”

In his article for the NYTMurthy cited a recent study by the American Psychological Association, which said 48 percent of parents said “most days their stress is completely overwhelming.”

The study also noted that 62% of parents say “no one understands how stressed they are.”

Murthy added that “traditional parenting difficulties” are now compounded by “new stressors, including omnipresent screens, a youth mental health crisis and a pervasive fear about the future.”

She called parenting a “team sport” and wrote that supporting parents is essential.

“Parenting will never be free of worry,” she wrote in her op-ed, but “reorienting our priorities to provide parents and caregivers with the support they need would go a long way toward ensuring that the balance tips toward joy.”

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